21 July 2008

The A.G./ARA Throwdown: Much Ado About Nothing

On July 15, 2008 the Calgary ARA and an Aryan Guard member who goes by the name of Willis had a bit of a run in. The ARA members had been at a Calgary skate park putting up fliers and talking to the youths who hang out there. It appears that Willis felt that this was fertile ground for recruitment, even though some of the youths he managed to swing to his side aren't even White.

Now the Aryan Guard would have you believe that the ARA swarmed over Willis in his own apartment, but we think that after the amount of b.s. the Aryan Guard has spread, you won't buy it. So here's what did happen.

When the ARA members were leaving the skate park on their way back to the C-Train, the walked by an apartment complex. Willis was on his balcony and started Seig Heiling. Braniac then came down to start a fight. He threw the first punch which injured an ARA member. The next punch resulted in Willis taking a nap on the concrete.

Willis as he appeared at the March 21, 2008 rally.

Rather than being the victim of an unprovoked attack, Willis initiated a conflict that an ARA member finished.

In other news, we appreciate how the mainstream media has noticed the desperation of the Aryan Guard's attempt to recruit members from outside the city by providing cash incentives. Granted, the "Calgary Sun" isn't exactly a bastion of journalistic integrity, but we think that the reporter Michael Platt got it pretty much right:

July 21, 2008

Nazi cash offer raises alarm

By MICHAEL PLATT

If you can't beat them, pay others to join you.

When you're a white-supremacist group struggling to bolster your foothold in a multicultural city, there's nothing like free cash to pique the interest of those looking to relocate their jackboots.

To the disgust of those who don't subscribe to racial purity, Calgary's Aryan Guard is offering to cover the damage deposit of any white supremacist who will move to the city and join their cause.

"That makes me sick," said Ald. Ric McIver.

"We can't stop people from moving here, but we can make sure that when they do, they know this isn't a city that tolerates hate crimes."

The damage-deposit offer from the neophyte Nazis looks suspiciously desperate -- like a staff-strapped burger joint offering a hiring bonus.

Could the Aryan attempt to establish a local master race be stumbling at the starting gate?

No one from the Guard returned the Sun's request for an interview, but the plea for warm, racist bodies seems to speak for itself.

"The Aryan Guard is always seeking new brothers and sisters, if you are interested in relocating to our Calgary area, we will pay the damage deposit for your residence.

"We believe that through fortifying our current locations with more White Nationlists we can spread the world more efficiently and than in the future branch out further throughout Canada," reads the posting, verbatim.

Entitled "White Nationlist Relocation Program -- Destination Calgary," it first appeared in early July on stormfront.org and had active posts as of yesterday.

Stormfront is where white-power zealots chat and where the 25-or-so members of the local Aryan Guard brag to others about the Calgary contingent.

The Aryan Guard first appeared here a couple of years back and has since made itself known through leaflets, marches and rallies.

But to the chagrin of those hoping Calgary would prove an easy mark for white power, the Aryan Guard has been challenged at every step.

Wherever there have been neo-Nazis, there have been protesters outnumbering them, with more than 200 people turning out to face 30 racists at their last major rally in March.

It was a low mark for the Aryans, with police having to escort them to safety by school bus, as anti-racism demonstrators jeered.

The Aryan Guard believes in white power, but the power of General Motors saved the neo-Nazis that day.

Since then, their most outspoken opponents, Anti-Racist Action Calgary, have been holding regular meetings and counter-protests, including a march through downtown yesterday.

"The best we can do is oppose them and apply pressure," said Jason Devine, spokesman for ARA Calgary.

The Aryan Guard has accused the ARA of being violent and a conflict between the sides last week near Millennium Park led to a Guard member reportedly being beaten unconscious.

Devine said the altercation was strictly self-defence, after a neo-Nazi who'd been trying to recruit skateboarding kids attacked the anti-racists.

"We are not violent," said Devine.

But the conflict shows opposition to racism must also come from the grassroots of Calgary, not just counter-protestors, said Devine. "Regular, everyday people have to say, 'I don't like it and I don't want it.

"People have to tell them it won't be tolerated."

Devine said the offer to pay for damage deposits should be taken very seriously, with racists across Canada looking for a home where hate can fester. Indeed, the posting on Stormfront has already generated positive comments from racists in other provinces and enquiries from people considering Calgary as a home.

"Hey I'm like ready to move out. But I got 1 problem! I have to finish my mathematics for grade 10 and 11 plus a view extra credits to get my high school diploma. If we can work things out like getting a good job without schooling right away then I can come like in a month," wrote one recruit, again verbatim.

If they come, the damage deposit will be taken care of by the Aryan Guard.

4 comments:

liberal Canadian
said...

As much as I am enlightened by your work and tribulations, I find this type of Anti-Facist reporting to be below par. Some nazi loses a fight, it shouldn't be a big deal on either side of the political fence. You have stated that you(s) are against violence, yet you post it up upon your Blog.

I always look forward to reading and gaining some intellectual insight about real Fascist problems, not some scrap amongst youths. In due time maybe you could concentrate on the big players in Canadian Nationalism.

Point taken. And we certainly are opposed to violence (though not in the case where it truly is in self-defence). The reason why we decided to post this article, and there was some debate as to whether it was worthwhile, was to counter the claims made by the Aryan Guard that their member was an innocent person who was set upon by the ARA. The Aryan Guard have attempted to portray themselves as patriots and civil rights activists. This is just another example of how they are the antithesis of those claims.

In the final analysis it really was much ado about nothing though.

As for the big players, we're working on that too. Hope you continue reading.

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A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.

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Race Traitor by Elisa Hategan

At age 16, Elisa Hategan was an alienated runaway who became recruited into Canada's most powerful white supremacist movement, the Heritage Front. She was groomed by top leaders to become a rising star of the extremist far-right movement. An errand girl for notorious Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel, she was a witness to the illicit activities of an undercover CSIS agent and co-founder of the Heritage Front. At age 18, she turned against the group and spied on them for several months before testifying in court and going into hiding.